Wait For Me
by Mahone-chic-89
Summary: Deadliest Catch: Summer joins the Cornelia Marie in an attempt to escape from her abusive boyfriend but learns later that she's not the only one who will need to be saved...my depiction of the passing away of Phil Harris and what happens afterwards...
1. Summer

**So I decided to take a break from my hockey story (mostly because my heart just isn't really in it anymore now that all my teams are out of the playoffs and its summertime which never fails to put me in a Deadliest Catch kinda mood : ) lol) so here I am writing another DC fanfic : ) The title for this one comes from a song by Daryl Hall and John Oates (some good oldies singers) and if you listen to the song its very moving! I hope you all enjoy this one…there are gonna be parts that are tough to write because of the tragic loss of Phil Harris but I will do my best. I do not know all the details but I'm expecting to gather more from the show as this year's season continues on. Thank you for reading and please review! : )**

_Wait For Me…_

_I know that you gave, the best that you had, but one more chance couldn't be all that hard to bear, wait for me please, wait for me, I know…it's probably more than I should ask, but won't you wait? Please wait for me, I know the light is fading fast…you could go either way, is it easier to stay? Wonder what you'll do when your chance rolls around, but you gotta know how much I wanna keep you, when I'm away I'm afraid it will all fall down, alright I guess that's more than I should ask, but won't you wait for me? I know the light is fading fast…_

Summer

The young brunette sat at the bar downing her second shot of tequila. She was glad it was the crab fishing season again…ecstatic in fact. She had stood and watched as the boat pulled away from the dock. The wives and children standing near her were in tears as they waved and called out sorrowful farewells to their loved ones. She, on the other hand, felt an inner peace as she watched the boat disappear into the mist. For her, crab fishing season meant she had a few months of freedom. She was able to escape her miserable life…the life she lived when he was home.

She sighed and raised her hand to get the bartender's attention. She needed another shot if she was going to make it through this night. Her emotions were all over the place and once again she felt the all-too-familiar pang of loss, guilt and maybe even a touch of love. Yes…love. That was the word. She loved him once…maybe she still did? She didn't know anymore. She didn't know much of anything anymore actually. Things changed that first day when he came home drunk and hit her. It was a blow that didn't have a lot of force behind it, but it hurt her all the same.

She laughed slightly to herself as she recalled the internal pain that had caused her. If only she had known what was to come, maybe she would have run away a long time ago. He started coming home drunk even more after that and every night he grew angrier and angrier. The more alcohol he consumed the angrier he became and she was always the one to get the brunt of his rage. She laughed again as the third shot of tequila burned the back of her throat. It was almost ironic how the cursed fluid was now soothing the very pain it had originally caused. Life was ironic. Sadistically ironic.

"Don't you think that's enough for one night, Summer?" asked the bar tender as the young brunette signaled to him again.

Summer laughed, a light yet sad sound, "No, Mike…the night is still young. Pour me another."

Her light, hazel eyes were already beginning to glass over as the alcohol coursed through her body. Or maybe it was the sudden, unexpected rush of pain and sadness that washed over her causing the excess moisture to appear in her eyes? Again she didn't know the answer. She didn't know any answers to any of the questions that had plagued her for so long.

The bartender sighed as he poured her another shot and sat it down in front of the very depressed and sad-looking young woman.

This time Summer didn't let the liquid slide slowly down her throat. This time she tossed her head back and drank the burning fluid in one smooth, overly-practiced motion. She was smiling sadly to herself as she sat the glass back down. She was so consumed with her own inner conflict that she didn't hear the door open nor did she see the young man that strode confidently into the bar until he spoke.

"I'll have my usual, Mike," he said in a tired, gruff voice.

To Summer it sounded as if the voice belonged to someone much older than the young man she saw standing not far away from her. His dark eyes looked like they had seen much in the short time he'd been on this earth. This young man had stared death in the face more than once and saw things that most people should never have to see or experience. To Summer it was all quite obvious. She'd seen that far-off look before…this man was a crab fisherman.

"Yeah, sure thing, Josh!" said Mike enthusiastically as he nodded in the young man's direction, "Good to see you again. I'm surprised your dad doesn't have you all outta town by now."

Josh smirked, his dark eyes sparkling slightly as Mike mentioned his father, "Yeah you know the old man…he does like getting out there early but I'm afraid that won't be happening this time. We lost our last greenhorn. Rolled his ankle pretty bad jumping off a pot. Doc says its sprained real bad and he can't put any weight on it so we're a man down."

Mike cursed under his breath, "Man…I'm sorry Josh! And there ain't anyone left in town neither! They're all gone fishing or gave up tryin' to find a job and headed back to the mainland."

"Yeah…we're pretty much screwed," muttered the young man, his eyes growing dark with worry.

Summer found herself staring at the young crab fisherman. He was attractive in a rebellious, tough kind of way but the light that danced in his eyes with every expression seemed to give away the fact that he had a kind heart. She listened as Josh and Mike talked about the fisherman's predicament. From the way Josh was talking it seemed like his dad was desperate to get someone on his boat and go fishing.

Suddenly an impossibly ridiculous idea popped inside her head. She shook her head the second it entered her mind and she smirked quietly at herself. Ridiculous…utterly insane. As if they'd allow a woman on board a crab boat. She grimaced at the reaction her boyfriend had when she asked to join his crew. He hit her that day too…hard. She winced slightly at the memory and forced herself to not think about it. She hated remembering times like that. They haunted her when he was gone.

"I just…I don't know what to do," muttered Josh, his shoulders slumped forward as if he had given up all hope, "If we can't get someone else on deck I don't think Dad's gonna be able to go out. And he can't deal with that kind of stress right now. He's still recovering from that incident last year."

The sadness and desperation in Josh's voice broke Summer. Perhaps it was the alcohol making her brave…making her reckless. But the idea of being out on the Bering Sea, miles from land, miles from her old life, miles from aching loneliness and pain, was all very tempting, alluring even. She turned suddenly to face the two men. She cleared her throat loud enough to get their attention.

"You need an extra hand?" she asked, her voice weaker than usual, strained from the emotion she'd been desperately trying to constrict all day.

Josh blinked in surprise as he gave Summer a head-to-toe glance, "Um…yeah, why?"

"Because I have nothing to do with my life for the next couple months besides sit here…and I could use a bit of adventure and it sounds like you could use the help."

"Yeah," admitted Josh shaking his head, "But…you're…"

"I'm what? A girl?" finished Summer with a sharp laugh, "So? You don't know me. You don't know what I'm capable of."

"Yeah that's…that's what scares me," said Josh, smirking slightly at the tough young lady, "I can't just bring some random person to my dad's boat and get him to hire you if I don't know what you are capable of."

Summer sneered, "Well if I recall correctly it sounds a hell of a lot like you don't have much of a choice now do you?"

Josh was silent for a moment. The girl had a point. He watched as she stood and put on her jacket, flipping her long, straight brown hair over her shoulder.

"I'll take that as a no. So…how about showing me this boat of yours?"

Josh and Mike exchanged a glance. Mike held up his hands as if to say, sorry bud you're on your own on this one! Josh sighed and rolled his eyes at Mike. He turned back to face Summer and gave her another head-to-toe glance. She couldn't have weighed more than a hundred and twenty pounds soaking wet. She didn't have the physique that was required to survive and work on the Bering Sea but the fire that burned in her eyes appeared to compensate for that. Josh sighed in resignation as he walked to the front door. He glanced over his shoulder and nodded at Summer.

"Alright…fine, let's go."

Summer smiled slightly in triumph. She held her chin high as she followed the young man out of the bar and into the frigid cold of Dutch Harbor. Josh smirked slightly at her victorious expression. He sighed and muttered under his breath.

"Dad is gonna kill me…"

**Please Review! : ) **


	2. Arrangements

**Thank you everyone for reviewing! I really appreciate all the feedback : ) This update isn't quite as long but I wanted to make sure I could get at least one update in this weekend since I'll be pretty busy the next two days. I'm glad you all seem to like it so far! Keep reviewing please! **

Arrangements

"Hey…Dad?" called Josh hesitantly as he walked up the stairs that led to the wheelhouse of the Cornelia Marie.

Summer smirked slightly at his worried look as she followed him confidently up the stairs. Even if his dad did not approve of her right off the bat she knew that they didn't have much of a choice. She also knew how tough she was. She had been through a lot the past two years and she wasn't afraid of another challenge. At least this one didn't involve her boyfriend or emotional turmoil…for once.

"Yeah, Josh what is it?" grumbled a very tired and stressed out Phil Harris.

"Um, well I found us a greenhorn," started Josh. He paused when he saw a flicker of hope cross his dad's bright blue eyes and held up a hand to stop him, "Don't get too excited though."

Phil gave his son a very perplexed look, "What the hell Josh?" he exclaimed after a moment, "What'd you bring me? A side-show freak or something? I don't have time for this…"

"No sir, not a side-show freak," interrupted Summer as she pushed past Josh and climbed up into the wheelhouse, "Just a girl."

Phil's mouth dropped in shock as his startled blue eyes darted back and forth between Josh and Summer.

"Josh…she's smaller than your little brother! What the hell were you thinking?" fumed Phil as he slammed the dashboard with his hand, "There's no way in hell she'll be able to work out there!"

"With all due respect," interjected Summer before Josh was able to reply. He shot her an irritated look which she returned with a smug one of her own before continuing, "I'm strong…stronger than you think. My daddy ran a shrimp boat on the east coast for several years and I worked for him all the time. I know my way around a boat and I know what it's like to work so hard and so long that you feel like your body is going to give in on you. I'm tough…I can do this."

Phil sighed long and loud as he ran a hand over his face. He studied Summer for a long moment before he looked up at his son. Josh just shrugged his shoulders as if to say, do we really have a choice in the matter? Phil sneered slightly and shook his head.

"Alright…fine," he muttered, "We need the extra pair of hands but so help me if you aren't able to handle the work you'll be off this boat so fast you won't even realize what happened, you got that? And we aren't gonna compensate for the fact that you are a girl. You'll have to work just as hard as the guys out on deck, no exceptions."

"I wouldn't expect you to make any exceptions," replied Summer with a victorious grin, "If I can't keep up with the boys then I don't belong on a crab boat."

Phil laughed, "I think you'll fit in just fine…just keep her away from Jake," added Phil as he gave Josh a rather pointed look.

Josh smirked at that and nodded, "Oh don't worry…the thought's already crossed my mind."

Summer gave Josh a quizzical look and Josh sighed as he began to explain.

"Jake's my little brother…and he's rather obsessed with women. I think that he thinks they're all in love with him or something."

Summer rolled her eyes at that, "Well I can assure you I won't be interested in your little brother. I have a boyfriend."

"Your boyfriend doesn't mind you being on a crab boat?" asked Phil in surprise, "A boat full of sex-starved and single men?"

Summer hesitated to answer that question. She looked away quickly as the familiar feeling of conflicting emotions overwhelmed her. A pang of guilt stabbed her as she answered Phil.

"Well…he doesn't know what I'm doing exactly."

Phil glanced over at Josh who raised his eyebrow in surprise and turned to look at Summer.

"So you're joining a crab boat behind his back? I mean are you at least gonna call the guy before we head out?" asked Josh, sounding rather surprised.

Summer laughed slightly at that, "Um, no…he's out fishing already. He won't know I ever left the dock."

"He's a crabber?" asked Josh, "Then why aren't you out with him on his boat?"

Summer shook her head, "It's…it's complicated. Anyway, where am I going to be staying while I'm here?"

Phil narrowed his eyes slightly at Summer's quick change of topic. There was something she was hiding, but it didn't really matter. It wasn't any of his business about her personal life. She was a warm body willing to do work and that was all that mattered at this point in the game.

"You can share a stateroom with Josh," answered Phil, "I figure you'll be safer there than with Jake or some of the other guys."

Josh shot his dad a pleading look that clearly said he was not pleased with this decision. This Summer girl seemed like such a handful. She was overly confident and sure of herself. She seemed like she would be really stubborn and arrogant too based on what Josh had seen of her so far. Phil returned his son's pleading glance with a stern look that clearly said he was to accept his decision, no questions asked. Josh sighed in resignation and led Summer down the ladder to where the staterooms were in the Cornelia Marie.

"Come on," he muttered as they descended the stairs, "I'll show you where you'll be staying and we'll get you some supplies before we head out."

Just as they walked down the hall in the direction of Josh's stateroom a long, loud whistle sounded from the galley.

"Damn Josh! Who's the babe!"

Summer sneered at that and rolled her eyes in disgust when she caught a glimpse of the kid who was ogling her from the galley table, "I'm assuming that was your lovely little brother," she mumbled to Josh.

"Yeah," muttered Josh as he quickly ushered Summer into the stateroom. He turned to close the door behind them and murmured under his breath, "Damn this is gonna suck…"


	3. Mystery Meat

**Thank you so much for reading and reviewing everyone! I really appreciate the support and feedback! I won't be able to update every day like I did last summer (things are a bit more crazy and hectic) but I'll do my best to update as much and as soon as I can. **

Mystery Meat

Summer was a nervous wreck. She knew that this would be hard. Forty foot waves, gale force wind, driving sleet and rain, snow, ice…but it was different now that she was actually out here.

It was the morning after Summer had officially joined the Cornelia Marie. It had been a long, brutal first night out on the Bering Sea. Phil pulled the boat away from the dock less than an hour after she had set foot on it and now they were nearly on top of the crab fishing grounds.

Summer sighed long and loud as she looked out over the churning Bering Sea. A wave crashed over the deck, the water swirling around her feet. Summer gasped in surprise when she started to lose her balance. She reached out, trying to grab onto whatever was closest to her to cling on to. Suddenly strong arms wrapped around her waist and held her up as the water receded off the deck. Summer breathed a sigh of relief as she turned to thank her rescuer.

Josh was standing behind her shaking his head, "Watch your step there greenhorn," he mumbled, "Haven't even started fishing yet and already you're falling all over the deck."

Summer scowled up at him, "I'm fine, thanks."

Josh smirked and rolled his eyes, "You're so defensive…lighten up a bit."

Summer's eyes sparked with irritation as another deckhand, Freddy, walked over and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Hey now, we all friends here!" said Freddy, sporting a goofy-looking grin, "No arguing! Just fishing! Come, come we about to bait the first pot!"

Jake Harris laughed at Freddy, "Dude there's something wrong upstairs with you, man."

Freddy turned around and punched Jake in the shoulder, laughing hysterically. Jake cried out in pain and surprise and whirled around to retaliate. A taller, blonde deckhand stepped in between the two feuding deckhands.

"Knock it off guys," laughed Dave, "Let's get to work, okay?"

Freddy flicked his toungue out at Jake before he turned to help unchain the first stack of pots.

Summer smirked at their antics. Despite the dangers and fears that she had about this job, the crew seemed to have a good sense of humor and she had a feeling that this might not be so bad after all…that is until Josh grabbed her arm and led her over to the baiting area. Summer wrinkled her nose against the putrid smell that rose up from the pile of dead, rotting fish.

"This is the baiting station," explained Josh.

"Yeah no shit Sherlock," sneered Summer as she held a hand over her nose, "This smell is god-awful!"

Josh rolled his eyes at that, "Get used to it, cupcake. You'll be smelling it for awhile now. Start slicing them like this…then stick a hook through the eye like this, grab a bag and then run it over to the pot launcher. I'll show you what to do from there, got it?"

Summer felt bile rising up in her throat as she leaned over the bait station and peered down at the dead fish, "Umm…yeah sure."

Josh tried to hide his amused smile the best that he could as he turned around to help the rest of the crew prepare the first pot of the season.

…

Fourteen long hours later the crew was given a short two hour break as Phil ran the boat to the next place he wanted to set pots. Summer sat at the table in the galley eating some meatloaf that Freddy had cooked. She eyed it suspiciously. Freddy was a little…strange to say the least and she wasn't so sure that this really was a true beef meatloaf.

Jake was eyeing the new greenhorn as if _she_ were a piece of meat as opposed to Freddy's surprise meatloaf that lay steaming on the galley table. Josh caught Jake's scrutinizing look and shot him a warning glare. Jake rolled his eyes at his older brother and turned his gaze back down to dinner. Summer was oblivious to the exchange. She was too busy picking her way through Freddy's mystery meatloaf.

"I tell you this is the best meat ever!" exclaimed Freddy as he shoved another huge piece of meatloaf into his mouth and nodded to himself as he chewed on it, "Yes…yes it is best meat ever!"

"Freddy is a little proud of his cooking ability," murmured Josh as he leaned toward Summer, "Or…lack there of anyway."

Summer smirked slightly at that. She watched as Josh made a grossed-out face as he began picking at his hunk of meat.

"Hey at least you didn't have to cut up dead, rotten, smelly fish all day and _then_ come inside to see that the main course for dinner is Freddy's mystery meat!" retorted Summer with a laugh.

"Hey did anyone take food to Pops?" asked Jake.

Josh shook his head as he forced a hunk of meat to slide slowly down his throat, "Uh, no I got it."

Josh put some of the meatloaf onto a plate, grabbed some rolls, and then went to get a drink from the refrigerator. Summer saw him struggling to balance everything and jumped up to help.

"Here I'll grab the drink," she offered, "What's he want?"

"Probably Red Bull," muttered Josh, saying the name of the energy drink with a tone of disgust in his voice.

Summer raised an eyebrow at that but shrugged and grabbed the drink from the fridge and followed Josh up to the wheelhouse.

"Hey there, Dad," announced Josh as he and Summer climbed up the stairs, "We brought you some dinner."

Phil Harris turned his tired, blood-shot eyes in their direction, "Oh thanks," muttered Phil as he reached out for the food, "Dear God…what the hell is it?"

Josh and Summer laughed at that. "You…don't want to know," said Summer, "Freddy made it."

"Oh God…its probably fish bait or something," said Phil as he inspected the suspicious meat with a fork.

"Everything okay, Pops?" asked Josh, a slightly worried tremor in his voice.

Summer was surprised to hear the tremor in Josh's voice and the worried gleam in his eyes as he scrutinized his dad.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine Josh don't worry about me," said Phil, brushing him off, "Just worrying about finding the crab as usual. Opillio season stresses the hell outta me."

"Everything stresses the hell out of you Dad," smirked Josh as he patted his dad on the back, "Alright, well call me if you need anything, okay?"

Phil smiled slightly and nodded in agreement. Josh began to decend the stairs and Summer followed quickly after him.

"What was that about?"

"What was what about?"

"You sounded scared…when you were talking to your dad," said Summer as Josh opened the stateroom they both shared, "What's going on?"

"Don't worry about it," snapped Josh suddenly.

"Is…is Phil okay?" pressed Summer.

Josh whirled around to yell at Summer to mind her own business but he hestitated when he saw the concerned look on her face. She was genuinely worried and was asking out of kindness and concern.

"Um…yeah he's fine. He just has some health problems. I worry about him sometimes," murmured Josh as he ran a hand through his dark hair, "Just…don't mention anything at all about Dad to Jake okay? I don't want my little brother worrying about anything while we're out fishing."

Summer nodded and crossed her arms over her chest. She bit her lower lip as she contemplated what Josh had said.

"What?" demanded Josh when he saw the look on Summer's face.

"It's serious isn't it?" pressed Summer, "Whatever is wrong with your dad…it's serious."

"Yeah," muttered Josh, "He had a blood clot pass through his heart last year. The doc says if it happens again then he probably won't make it."

Josh's trembling voice touched Summer. She reached out and touched his arm gently. Josh turned around to face her and was somewhat startled when she opened her arms and hugged him. He returned the hug after a moment and felt an odd sense of warmth and comfort in her embrace.

"Let me know if I can do anything," murmured Summer as she held on to Josh.

"Thanks," whispered Josh, his voice too strained and closed up with emotion to respond properly. In that moment Josh was incredibly greatful that he had found Summer the other day in that bar. He had been so busy burying himself in work and checking in on his dad that he hadn't had a moment to himself to deal with the emotions he had been dealing with for the past year. Summer's kindness and concern touched him and for once he felt the stress and strain slowly leave him as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. In those few moments Josh felt better than he had in a very long time…

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	4. Blowing a Gasket

**Hey everyone! Sorry for the delayed update. A combination of writer's block and a hectic week equaled no updates. I plan to join the Coast Guard Auxiliary tomorrow! : ) Wish me luck! And thank you for all of the feedback! I really appreciate all the reviews. Hope you guys like this one…you're about to find out who Summer's boyfriend really is!**

**Blowing a Gasket **

"Let's go! Move it!" shouted Freddy as Jake rolled his eyes in exasperation, "I swear, kid you better move that ass before I come over there and kick it!"

Summer's hazel eyes widened slightly at Freddy's threat. If it were directed at her she knew she would be a complete wreck. The glimmer of anger and frustration in Freddy's eyes unnerved her and she was shocked that Jake was not reacting to it at all. He simply tied the pot door with expert slowness and even threw in a yawn for good measure. Freddy muttered and cursed the over-confident Jake Harris as he threw the buoy over the rail.

Josh sneered as Summer walked over with the next bait set up, "That kid is gonna get his ass kicked."

"Yeah…so I've heard," said Summer as she glanced over at Freddy again.

"Oh, no it's not Freddy I'm worried about," said Josh as he cast an anxious glance up at the wheelhouse, "It's Dad. If he sees Jake farting around down here he's gonna blow a gasket."

As if on cue, Phil's gravelly voice echoed across the deck, "Jake if you don't step up your game and step it up soon I'm gonna pull your paycheck and send you packing!"

Jake sighed in annoyance more than fear and trudged across the deck a little faster than he had earlier. Josh shot Summer a look that clearly said, "I told you so."

Dave smirked and shook his head as he watched Jake mutter irritably under his breath while Freddy stood at the rail grinning victoriously. Josh was at the bait area with Summer helping her with the new bait setups. Dave raised a curious eyebrow when he saw Josh nudge her playfully and heard them laughing.

A few hours went by and the crew had set two of the three strings Phil was placing on a softer area of the Bering Sea floor. Summer leaned on Josh wearily as they neared the area where Phil wanted them to place the third and final string. The crew grumbled tiredly as they stretched out their sore limbs and prepared to launch the first pot. They waited patiently for Phil's signal to drop the pot but after several long minutes they began to grow concerned.

"What's he waiting for?" complained Jake, "Let's get this crap over with already."

"Hey guys," said Phil over the loud hailer, "Go ahead and go inside…get something to eat. Summer I need to see you in the wheelhouse please."

Summer's eyes grew wide with surprise. Why would Phil need to see her? Had she done something wrong? She glanced over at Josh, searching his face for an answer to her questions but he just shrugged his shoulders. Summer sighed in resignation and began to climb up to the wheelhouse.

"Yes, Captain?" she said as she entered.

Phil gave her a long, scrutinizing look and then motioned for her to sit down on the padded bench behind his captain's chair. Summer climbed up on the bench. She was trembling slightly now, unsure as to what was going on. She had not done anything wrong…nothing more than typical greenhorn mistakes and she had only made most of those once.

"You want to tell me the real reason you're on this boat?" asked Phil, his voice tight with suppressed frustration and anger.

His tone startled Summer and she shifted uneasily on the bench. Just then, Josh walked into the wheelhouse.

"What's going on?" he asked, curiosity eating away at him.

"Nothing," snapped Phil, "If you're gonna be up here then go sit over there," he said, pointing to the co-captain's chair on the other side of the wheelhouse.

Josh nodded and exchanged a confused glance with Summer as he passed.

"Now, answer the question," ordered Phil, "Why are you really on this boat?"

"Because…I want to be," answered Summer, confused by his question and unsure as to how she was supposed to answer it, "I wanted to see what it's like to be a crab fisherman."

"Is that all?" asked Phil, skeptically.

"I…I wanted to get away from my life back on land too, I guess. I wanted…to switch things up a bit."

"And you couldn't do that on your boyfriend's boat?" snapped Phil, shooting her an accusing look.

Summer flinched visibly at that. How did Phil know her boyfriend owned a crab fishing vessel? Josh looked equally taken aback by the question. His questioning gaze fixated on her as he waited for her response.

"Um…that's, that's complicated," she mumbled, shaking now.

"You do realize that he's one of my partner boats right?" growled Phil as he jammed the throttle forward.

Summer's eyes widened in shock, "He…he is? I…I didn't know that…"

"Yeah and he called my boat a few minutes ago to check in and see how things were going," said Phil as he lit a cigarette and took a long drag, "I told him that we'd hired a female greenhorn and as I was describing you to him, the description sounded really familiar. He asked what your name was and when I told him he just about exploded with anger that his girlfriend was out on the Bering Sea."

Summer's shaking increased drastically when Phil described how angry her boyfriend was at her. The visual image of him enraged absolutely terrified her. When he got like that bad things happened…especially when he was angry and drunk at the same time.

Josh saw Summer's trembling and he narrowed his eyes in anger. Whoever this guy was he was obviously bad news if he scared Summer this badly.

"So if you wanted to go on the Bering Sea so badly, why didn't you go out with your boyfriend?" continued Phil, "Because right now he's livid with me for hiring you and that pisses me off because it's not my fault that his girlfriend finagled her way onto my boat!"

"Dad, cool it okay?" interrupted Josh as he stood up and walked over to stand in between his dad and Summer, "She's obviously terrified of the guy so just calm down, alright?"

"We…we don't get along that well," said Summer before Phil could retaliate, "At least we don't when he's angry and lately he's always angry about something and I usually get the brunt end of his anger…so there was no way in hell I was gonna go out on the Bering Sea and be stuck with him on a boat for a few months. Look, Phil I'm sorry to put you in this position. I'll get off the boat when we offload. I'm sorry for causing you any trouble."

Summer slid off the bench and was about to leave but Josh grabbed her arm, "No…that's not fair," he said turning to his dad, "You can't fire her just because her asshole of a boyfriend is throwing a temper tantrum!"

Phil sighed long and loud and ran a hand through his hair. After a long moment of silence he finally spoke, "Okay, fine…I'm not gonna fire you. I'll call your boyfriend and tell him I'm keeping you for the season. I just hope that he doesn't hold it over my head. The last thing I need is a temperamental twenty-some year old punk up my ass."

"Josh, maybe I should leave," argued Summer, "I don't want to cause any problems."

"You aren't," argued Josh, "You're doing a damn good job on this boat and it's none of your boyfriend's business. Let him throw a hissy fit on his boat, who cares?"

"But Josh…if I've learned anything the past couple of years it's this: you just don't mess around with Blake Painter...ever."

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	5. Accountability

**Thank you so much for the reviews and the "good luck" wishes! It went really well : ) **

**Just a quick disclaimer: for the remainder of this story I will be touching on serious issues that have indeed occurred in real life (i.e. Phil Harris passing away) and I wanted to just go ahead and warn readers ahead of time. I will put a disclaimer on the chapter that I post about Phil's passing away just to give everyone a head's up and if you would like to skip reading that chapter that's no problem, I understand. I will depict it so that it fits my story line better and so that way it isn't too much like what really happened. This is a fictional story however so the events will be altered accordingly. **

**Thank you again for the reviews! **

Accountability 

_One week later…_

The crew of the Cornelia Marie had been blessed so far with finding the crab. Phil's strategy of placing the pots along a rocky area had paid off. After hauling several heavy pots stuffed with crab, Phil allowed his crew to have a three hour break to get some food and possibly catch a nap as they steamed between strings.

"Hey, Summer?" asked Phil as he left the galley and began to head up to the wheelhouse, "When you get the chance, get me my pills please? My back is killing me."

"Roger," replied Summer as she finished washing up the dishes from the crew's meal. She frowned slightly as she put the dishes away. Phil was a tough old salt but he had been complaining about his back a lot lately. He had spent several hours in his chair setting and hauling pots on the particularly difficult ground he had decided to set on and Summer was beginning to worry about him.

Josh saw the worried look in Summer's eyes and he couldn't hide the smile of amusement. For a greenhorn Summer was well-liked aboard this vessel. She had quickly won over the hearts of the crew and did her job fairly well. Seeing her concern for his dad touched Josh. It was nice to know that someone else cared and worried about his dad other than him.

Jake on the other hand seemed obliviously to everything. Josh sneered slightly as his little brother left the galley without bothering to assist in cleaning the dishes and putting the leftover food away. Jake was lost in his own little world these days. It was as if he were attempting to block everything out. He was oblivious to the fact that their dad had been in excruciating pain the past couple days and oblivious to everyone else around him. He was always late on deck, causing the crew extra stress and frustration and a delay in hauling and setting the pots. For Josh, Jake was working on his very last nerve and it wouldn't take much to snap it.

"Here, I'll finish this," said Josh as he moved over to help Summer put away the dishes, "You go get Dad his pills."

"Oh, thanks Josh," smiled Summer.

Josh felt his heart skip a beat. He shook his head irritably. He couldn't have a crush on this girl. She was dating freaking Blake Painter for crying out loud! He grimaced at that thought. He and Summer had grown close over the past week and after several conversations with her Josh had determined that Blake Painter was no good. Every time his name was mentioned, Summer would either flinch or look away and change the subject. She seemed to be very afraid of her boyfriend and that worried Josh a lot. He grumbled to himself as he started to put away the dishes, forcing his thoughts about Summer to the back of his mind…for now.

Summer sighed wearily as she walked down the hall toward Phil's stateroom to fetch his pills. She opened the door and stepped inside. What she saw there made her gasp out loud.

"Jake?" she asked in surprise, "Jake…what the hell are you doing?"

Jake Harris whirled around in surprise. His eyes glittered with fear and guilt and he turned his head away from her accusing stare.

"Jake…those are your dad's pills," said Summer, in shock and disbelief, "What…what are you doing?"

"You can't tell anyone about this," said Jake quietly, his voice shaking, "Please…please don't say anything."

"How can I _not_?" snapped Summer, her hazel eyes now flashing in anger, "Jake you're stealing your dad's pain medication that he _needs_! What the hell else am I supposed to do?"

"Summer…don't, please," begged Jake, tears beginning to form in his eyes, "It would kill Dad if he knew…"

"If he knew what?" demanded Summer, "That you're stealing his medication?"

"No…if he knew that…that his son was an addict," said Jake, his face flaming with guilt and shame as he stared down at the floor.

Summer felt the color drain from her face at Jake's confession.

"You…you're an addict?" she asked, her voice growing soft with shock and concern, "How? Why? Jake…what…"

"I don't know," said Jake, his voice full of desperation, "I started taking some back home because I was getting these migraines. And then…I couldn't stop. When I take the pills I feel better. For just a little while I don't have to worry about…"

"About what?" pressed Summer as she walked over to Jake and sat down next to him on Phil's bed.

"About…about Dad," said Jake as tears began to fall down his face, "For just a little while all the pain and fear is gone. Everything feels okay again…and I like that feeling. I need that feeling."

Summer sighed and shook her head sadly. Josh had been trying so hard to keep the severity of their dad's condition a secret from Jake, but Jake was well aware of what was going on. He wasn't stupid. He knew his dad was not in good condition and that he wasn't all the way out of the woods yet and it was affecting Jake deeply.

"Why didn't you talk to one of us?" asked Summer, her eyes filled with sadness as she gazed at Jake. At the moment he looked like a scared, lost little boy rather than a tough crab fisherman and it touched her heart.

"I…I didn't want to seem weak," mumbled Jake, "Dad wouldn't want me to be walking around moping and scared all the time. That would upset him."

"And you think this _won't_?" pressed Summer.

Jake glanced away and shook his head, "I'm sorry…I'm so messed up, Summer. I'm so freaking screwed up."

Summer smiled sadly, "Yeah you aren't the only one."

Jake looked up at her in surprise and tilted his head questioningly.

Summer sighed and ran a hand through her long, brown hair.

"I'm kinda messed up too, just not with drugs. I can't let go of what is hurting me. I know that if I do it will hurt in the short term, but in the long term I could learn to be happy again. It's hard…it's very hard, Jake."

"You're talking about your boyfriend aren't you?" pressed Jake, "Josh told me," he added when he saw the look of surprise on Summer's face.

Summer smirked and nodded, "Yeah…it's rough and it's hard to let go. And I'm scared to death, Jake."

"Then why don't you just let the loser go?"

"Why don't you just stop taking those pills?" countered Summer.

Jake looked away, "Guess it's easier said than done, huh?"

"Yeah…yeah it is," said Summer as she put a comforting arm around Jake, "I guess we're both a couple of screwed up deckhands, huh?"

Jake laughed slightly at that, "Yeah…we're both pretty messed up."

Summer ruffled Jake's hair and narrowed her eyes at him playfully.

"Wanna make a pact?" asked Jake suddenly. When Summer gave him a confused look he continued, "If I stop taking the pills, you gotta let go of that loser of a boyfriend."

"I…I don't know Jake," said Summer after a moment, "That's…that's not…"

"Not what? Easy? Of course it isn't," said Jake with a look of determination on his face, "But they are crutches in our life, right?"

"Right…"

"And, like you said, it will hurt in the short term but it'll be good in the long term right?"

"Right…"

"So…let's do it then!" exclaimed Jake excitedly, "We'll be like accountability partners or something."

"You do realize this isn't gonna be that simple right?" cautioned Summer, "You're going to go through some serious withdraw."

Jake's excitement faltered for a moment, "Yeah…but I gotta do it. I can't keep stealing Dad's meds. And I guess I should probably start dealing with my emotions rather than covering them up. It's gonna suck for a while but…I guess things will be okay eventually, right?"

Summer sighed wearily as she pictured herself breaking up with Blake. She flinched at the anger she predicted that she would see in his eyes, but as she glanced back at Jake, his eyes full of desperation for a solution to his problems, she knew she had to go through with it. She needed to do this for herself too. It had been a long time coming anyway.

"Alright…fine, let's do it," she said, giving Jake the most confident look that she could muster, "Accountability partners?"

"Accountability partners," said Jake in agreement as he gave Summer a hug, "Oh…by the way… I think my brother has a thing for you. Just a bit more motivation to break up with that loser of yours."

Summer's eyes widened in surprise at that. She was about to ask Jake why he thought that but Jake disappeared quickly out of the stateroom, laughing to himself as he left. Summer rolled her eyes in exasperation and took a deep breath, steeling herself for what she was going to have to do in a few short days…

**PLEASE REVIEW! **


	6. Unfinished Business

**Sorry for the delayed update again…I've been keeping busy lately. Thank you so much to those who are reading and reviewing! I really, really appreciate the feedback! **

Unfinished Business

_Three Days Later…_

Summer frowned as she looked down at her trembling coffee mug. Her hands were shaking so bad that he couldn't even take a sip of the scalding liquid. She sighed in resignation and sat the mug back down on the counter and ran a hand through her long, brown hair. They had pulled into port about fourteen hours ago and had just finished offloading their crab. Summer knew that she couldn't procrastinate for much longer.

Three days ago Summer had caught Jake taking his dad's pain medication. Jake confessed to her that he was an addict and needed help. The two young deckhands made an agreement that if Jake got rid of his addiction and got professional counseling for it, then Summer would let go of her addiction: her boyfriend.

Although Summer couldn't really call Blake an "addiction" necessarily. She didn't crave him in the way that Jake craved his pills but the results of both had been about the same: feelings of guilt, shame and helplessness. She smiled slightly as she recalled Jake's parting comment to her regarding his older brother. She wasn't sure if Josh really did have a thing for her or not. He could just be a friendly, kind-hearted kind of guy.

She shook her head, attempting to clear her clouded thoughts, and went to take a shower and put on a decent outfit before she took her first step back on land in several, long weeks.

…

"So…when are you gonna ask her out?" asked Jake as he helped Josh re-load the boat with bait.

Josh froze for a second and nearly got knocked over as the next box of herring slammed into his chest.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, glancing away quickly from his little brother's overly-confident smirk.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," laughed Jake, "Don't even give me that crap….when are you going to ask Summer out?"

Josh sneered, "Shut up, Jake…she has a boyfriend. And besides, who ever said I was interested?"

Jake rolled his eyes in exasperation, "Oh please…the whole crew knows it. It's not like you've done a great job hiding it or anything."

Josh gave his brother a startled look, "What? The whole crew knows? What the hell? I didn't even do anything!"

"Yet."

"Shut up Jake."

Just then Summer walked out on the deck, silencing the two feuding brothers with her presence. Josh's mouth flew open before he could control himself. Summer looked absolutely gorgeous! She was wearing a knee-length red dress and had straightened her long, brown hair to perfection. Her matching red stilettos accentuated her long, slim legs and narrow waist. She was an absolute vision.

Jake looked like he was going to burst out laughing as he watched his older brother's reaction to Summer's new get-up.

"Where…where are you going?" asked Josh in absolute shock.

"I have some unfinished business to take care of in town," answered Summer as she exchanged a meaningful look with Jake, "It shouldn't take too long."

Jake moved over to whisper in Summer's ear, "His boat came in a couple of hours ago so he's probably at the Elbow Room."

"Thanks Jake," said Summer as she gave Jake a hug, "Wish me luck."

"Um…are you coming back?" asked Josh anxiously.

Summer laughed and rolled her eyes, "No I'm jumping ship…yes of course I'm coming back! I won't be gone more than an hour, I promise."

"Okay," said Josh, looking skeptical, "But if you aren't back in an hour I'm going to come looking for you."

"Thanks, Dad," said Summer with a laugh as she climbed down onto the dock.

"Where the hell is she going dressed like that?" mumbled Josh as he and Jake watched Summer walk down the dock.

Jake just smiled to himself and turned back to finish stacking the boxes of herring.

…

Summer opened the door of the Elbow Room slowly. She could hear the rowdy crowd of crab fishermen already inside enjoying themselves to plentiful amounts of alcoholic beverages. She took a long, shaky breath before she stepped inside. Part of her was thrilled at the thought of finally being free, but the other part was petrified of how Blake would react.

She saw him the second she stepped inside the bar. He was sitting at the far end of the bar with a couple of his deckhands, sipping on what appeared to be one of the many beers he had been drinking since he got into town. Summer felt her heart pound wildly in fear. Blake was even more unstable than usual when he was drinking. In that second Summer had a sudden urge to turn around and run out of the bar, but she had promised Jake that she would do this. She couldn't give in now…and what about Josh?

She smiled slightly as she thought of Josh Harris. He was so handsome and mature for a young deckhand. He was confident, yet not arrogant; smart yet not a know-it-all; incredibly attractive, but didn't act like he knew he was. He was everything she had ever wanted in a guy. She silently prayed he felt the same way about her and that what she was about to do would be worth it.

As Summer drew near Blake she straightened her posture, pushed out her shoulders and lifted her head up, attempting to appear confident despite the tremors that were wracking her body and her nerves. She tapped him on the shoulder and braced herself for what was to come…

…

"That's it!" said Josh suddenly as he dropped a package of herring, "I'm going after her."

"Dude she's only been gone fifteen minutes!" exclaimed Jake in surprise and annoyance as he watched the box of herring fall apart, spilling smelly fish all over the deck.

"I don't care" argued Josh, "I've got a bad feeling…she could get into so much trouble dressed like that in a town like this."

"She's a big girl, Josh…she can take care of herself."

"I'm going," said Josh, his eyes hard and determined.

Jake sighed in resignation, "Fine…I'll finish loading the bait."

"Thanks, little bro," said Josh as he patted Jake on the back, "I won't be gone long."

…

"Hey there, sweetheart!" exclaimed Blake in surprise when he turned to see Summer standing behind him, "How are you? It's….been a while…"

Blake's friends smirked in amusement as he slurred his words and smiled like a fool. Summer felt her lip curl a little in disgust at the all-too-familiar sight. In that instant she wondered what it was that she ever saw in Blake.

"It's over, Blake," she said firmly, her voice trembling slightly, "You and me…we're done."

Instantly the men sitting around Blake moved out of the way and sidled to the other side of the bar where a couple of old-timers were swapping fish stories. Blake's eyes hardened in fury as he glared up at Summer.

"What did you just say to me?" he said, his voice nearly turning into a snarl.

"I said, we're done, Blake," repeated Summer, her voice trembling even more when she recognized the infuriated gleam in his eyes.

"No one and I mean _no one_ breaks up with me," he said, snarling in fury as he stood up from his bar stool, "How dare you come in here and do this in front of my friends!"

"You had this coming for a long time Blake Painter," sneered Summer, attempting to maintain a brave and confident front, "I should have done this a long time ago. You're nothing but a wasted, worthless, abusive piece of…"

Summer's infuriated diatribe was cut short as she fell to the floor. A burst of pain made her see stars as she lay in a crumpled heap. A stinging sensation on her face confirmed the fact that Blake had just punched her…hard. The room was beginning to spin around her. She could make out the startled voices in the Elbow Room and saw several people begin to leave rather quickly. As she looked up at Blake, she saw him draw back his foot back and slam it back down into her ribs. Summer cried out in agony as her vision began to slowly get darker and darker…

**Please Review!**


	7. Wings of an Eagle

**Thank you so much to everyone who is reading and reviewing! I've had another brilliant idea for a story (thanks to my bestie Emily!) centered on the NW and events that have gone on recently with the boat (namely tensions between Sig and Edgar). So I will begin to work on that story and work on the plot line after I finish this one, just to give everyone a head's up. **

**Disclaimer: I said this in an earlier chapter but just as a reminder, I will be depicting Phil's passing in the next couple chapters. I will not stick to the exact facts of what happened so that it will fit into the story and it won't be as realistic due to the fact that this event occurred in real life and has deeply affected so many people (myself included). However if this bothers any reader at any time and you can't read it, feel free to skip those parts (I won't be offended I promise! lol). **

_Wings of an Eagle_

With each kick Summer's vision grew more and more dim. Her cries of agony were beginning to subside as she lost the ability to scream. The pain was overwhelming.

She was vaguely aware of someone entering the Elbow Room and yelling loudly above the clamor. Whoever it was sounded infuriated. A few seconds later she saw Blake fly across the room and slam into the wall, crumpling to the floor with a cry of surprise and pain. She felt a pair of warm hands caress her body gently and voice murmur gently to her, asking if she was okay before the man turned an enraged glare back in Blake's direction as he slowly stood up from the floor.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" demanded Blake, "This is none of your business!"

"The hell it isn't!" snarled Josh Harris, not even attempting to suppress his growing rage, "She's our new greenhorn and she's a woman being abused by an asshole. Those two reasons alone make it my business!"

Blake sneered as he sauntered coolly back over to where Josh was leaning over Summer's still and broken body.

"Back away from her…I'm not done," he said as he pushed Josh away and prepared to land another kick into Summer's abdomen.

Josh threw a roundhouse punch to Blake's face and caught him just along the jaw. A sharp crack sounded as his fist pounded into his face. Blake screamed as he fell to the ground, clutching his face.

"No Blake," growled Josh, "You are done…but _I'm _not."

The dangerous light that danced in Josh's eyes startled Blake. He saw the young deckhand's intent and scrambled to his feet in an attempt to escape, but Josh moved faster. He grabbed Blake by the collar and threw him up onto the bar. The few remaining patrons moved farther away and murmured to each other nervously as they watched the scene unfolding before them.

"Stay the hell away from her, you hear me?" seethed Josh as he shoved Blake down onto the bar, "I said, do you hear me?"

"Yeah…I, I hear you," choked out Blake after a moment.

"If I ever catch you anywhere near her I will tear you apart," Josh said through clenched teeth as he released Blake from his vice-like grip and stepped away.

Blake's eyes were as round as saucers as he gazed back at Josh in startled amazement. He had not expected Phil's oldest son to be so aggressive and brutal. As he hesitated, watching Josh as he knelt back down next to Summer, Josh looked up and through Blake a threatening look. Blake nodded once, understanding the glare as his official dismissal, and made a bee-line for the back door of the Elbow Room.

Josh ran his hands over Summer, his eyes tense with worry as she moaned quietly under his touch.

"It's gonna be okay," he whispered, "I'm here…it's all going to be okay. I won't let anyone hurt you ever again…"

…

_Three hours later..._

"Hey you," greeted Jake Harris as he walked into the hospital room, "I hear you got yourself into a nasty bar fight."

Summer smirked at Jake and rolled her eyes, "Yeah something like that."

Josh sneered, "Yeah well the guy that did this to her is lucky to still be breathing."

"Yeah I saw Blake in the room a few doors down," said Jake, attempting to stifle a laugh, "His face is swollen like a frickin' balloon. What the hell did you do to him, bro?"

Josh smiled an almost evil grin as he glanced away, "Oh…I just gave him something to remember me by. His jaw might be broken…fractured at least."

Summer's eyes widened at that as she gazed at Josh in disbelief, "Are _you _okay?"

Josh laughed, "Oh yeah…you know me, tough as steel. My hand's a bit sore but other than that, all is well. It's you that I'm worried about."

Now it was Summer's turn to roll her eyes, "Oh it's not that bad. Nasty bruise under the eye, some seriously bruised ribs…but it could have been a lot worse."

"You're lucky the ribs aren't broken," agreed Josh, "He was kicking you hard."

Jake's eyes narrowed at that. He cursed under his breath as he set a bouquet of lilies next to Summer's bed.

"Aw thanks, Jake!" said Summer as she reached out to smell them, "They're so pretty!"

Jake shrugged, blushing slightly under her praise, "Oh I just got them at the gift shop…when Josh called and told me what happened I felt like getting you something to cheer you up a bit. Although it sounds like what my big bro did may have been even better. I mean seriously…Blake's face is swollen _bad_."

Josh laughed and his smile grew broader at that last comment, "Good…it'll teach him a lesson. Don't mess with Summer, cause the Cornelia Marie will be all up your ass."

Jake and Summer laughed at that just as Josh's cell phone rang.

"It's the boat phone," said Josh as he looked at the caller ID. He frowned slightly as he answered the call, "Hello?"

Summer and Jake watched as Josh's face slowly began to drain color. His eyes took on a terrified, almost shocked-looking gleam as he gazed blankly at them.

"I'm on my way," he said quickly as he ended the call.

Josh stood quickly and threw on his jacket.

"What was that about?" demanded Jake, worry straining his voice.

"It's Dad," said Josh, his voice quivering, "He…he had a stroke. He's on the boat…they called the paramedics to get him off."

Jake and Summer's eyes grew wide with horror as the news sunk in. Summer knew about Phil's health condition. Josh had told her what had happened a year ago and his near-death experience as well as various other issues that he had not shared with his youngest son, Jake for fear that it would seriously upset him.

"We're coming too," said Summer as she climbed out of bed and reached for her clothes.

"No you need to stay here," ordered Josh in a more composed, authoritative voice, "I need to take over the boat if necessary and settle things there."

Summer glanced anxiously at Jake. He had gone eerily quiet and looked grief-stricken. He was clearly in shock.

"But…someone may need some support right now," she said, her eyes shifting quickly to Jake then back to Josh.

Josh glanced at his little brother and sighed in resignation. He knew that Jake would take this harder than anyone else. His baby brother depended on their dad for so much.

"Okay…just be careful. The last thing we need is for you to injure yourself worse."

Summer quickly got dressed behind the curtain next to her bed and followed the Harris boys as they made their way out of the hospital. Summer sent up a silent prayer for Phil and for his sons as they ran outside and jumped in Josh's pick-up.

As they drove down the road, the Cornelia Marie came into view. A huge eagle was sitting on the railing near the wheelhouse and as they climbed aboard, it took flight, spreading its massive wings and giving out a loud, long call. Summer shivered…the call sounded almost mournful in a way. The symbolism of the event sent chills down her spine as she followed the brothers into the wheelhouse. She cast one final glance in the direction where the eagle had flown off. She felt another chill course its way through her body as she realized that it was slowly circling above the Cornelia Marie, calling out its shrill, mournful cry…

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	8. Leaving Dutch

**Thanks so much for the reviews! I'm going to start a new story as well since I have to wait each week to see what happens in real life with Phil and his sons to get material for this story before I can update properly. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone (sadly) and this does depict real life events with a fictional twist…just a heads up.**

Leaving Dutch

The paramedics were there by the time Josh, Jake, and Summer jumped out of the pick-up truck and raced toward the boat.

"Where's my dad?" demanded Josh in a loud, booming voice, "Where the hell is he?"

"He's in ambulance!" shouted Freddy from the deck of the Cornelia Marie, "They taking him to clinic!"

"Let's go," said Summer as she and the Harris boys leapt into the truck and followed the ambulance down the snowy and ice road.

Summer saw the glimmer of fear in Josh's eyes, despite his best effort to avoid showing his fear. She frowned and gently reached over and squeezed his shoulder, a silent gesture of support and comfort. Josh glanced at her with a grateful, yet worried expression on his face. He took a deep breath as they pulled up to the clinic and watched Phil being carried on a stretcher into the building. They followed the paramedics quickly inside the building and down a long hallway. A doctor stopped them from entering a set of double doors and indicated that they should wait outside. Josh looked as if he wanted to protest but hesitated just long enough for the white-cloaked doctor to disappear behind the set of double doors.

Jake sunk wearily to the floor and leaned against the wall. His eyes were glazed over in fear and shock as he hastily wiped a stray tear from his cheek. Summer caught the slight action and her heart clenched in pain for the young man. She sat down next to him and put a comforting arm over his shoulders. Josh sat next to her and reached out for her free hand. She looked to him and gave him a sad smile as she squeezed his hand. In that instant Summer knew she would have to be the strong one. Jake was falling apart, and falling apart fast and while Josh feigned his ability to handle the situation, Summer knew he was struggling deep down.

After a few tense minutes, a nurse stepped outside to give them the news. Instantly, all three young deckhands stood up and pressed forward, as if they were attempting to urge the nurse to speak.

"We are fairly certain that he had a serious stroke," said the nurse as she fidgeted nervously, "We are going to have to fly him to Anchorage so he can receive proper medical treatment."

Summer saw Josh's shoulders tense visibly under his long-sleeved black shirt. Jake shuddered and looked like he was going to have a breakdown right then and there.

"Thank you," murmured Summer to the nurse.

The nurse nodded and hurried off back through the double doors.

"What the hell do we do?" moaned Jake, his voice catching slightly with emotion.

"You go with Dad," said Josh, his voice gravelly and strained, "Take care of him…I'll take care of the boat."

"No, Josh," argued Summer, "Let Freddy take care of the boat. You need to be with your dad. He needs you now…let the crew handle the boat."

Josh opened his mouth to argue but he stopped when he saw Summer pointing discreetly toward Jake and mouthing the words: "And he needs you too."

Josh sighed when he looked down and saw that his little brother had crumpled to the floor again in a heap of anguish and fear. He knew that Summer was right. His little brother needed him now and so did his dad.

"Alright…I'll call Freddy and let him know."

"Good…and I'm coming with you," added Summer, "You may want someone there…just in case."

Josh flinched and Summer instantly felt guilty for her choice of words.

"Yeah…thanks," muttered Josh as he gave her a hug, "We both will need you…we could use the support."

Summer smiled weakly and nodded, "Alright then…let's get ready to leave. I'm sure the doctors will want to get Phil on that plane as soon as possible."

…

"I can't believe she did that to me," muttered Blake dejectedly as he sat in the wheelhouse of the Maverick, contemplating over the night's events.

"I'm sorry dude," said one of his crewmen, sitting in the co-captain's chair, "That's rough."

Blake sneered, "Yeah just a little. And incredibly embarrassing. How dare she do that to me in front of my own crew?"

"Women," sneered the other man as he gazed out over the quiet dock, "You see that ambulance earlier?"

"What ambulance?" asked Blake, sounding uninterested.

"The one over at the Cornelia Marie…looked like they were hauling someone off of it."

Blake's eyes narrowed instantly as his crewman said the name of the boat that his now-ex-girlfriend was a member of.

"No…I didn't see it," he mumbled, glancing out the window at the large, blue vessel, "Could you tell who it was?"

The man shook his head, "Nah…probably an older deckhand had a heart attack or something. Poor old guy…last thing you want is to lose a guy to something like that. Sucks."

Blake nodded thoughtfully, "Yeah…"

He wondered who on the Cornelia Marie had to be taken off of the vessel. Part of him hoped it was that new guy friend of Summer's…a big part of him hoped it was…

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	9. Waiting

**So I decided to write another update early since this weekend will be kind of crazy with family and friends and I wasn't sure if I would have the chance to update tomorrow or not. Thank you to those who are reading and reviewing thus far! I hope you all have a wonderful Fourth of July weekend! **

Waiting

Summer sighed quietly as she and the Harris brothers waited in another waiting room on the Alaskan mainland. This waiting room was considerably larger than the one in Dutch and actually had decent seats. The three weary deckhands had collapsed on a row of padded chairs against the far wall of the waiting room while the doctors and nurses worked feverishly on Captain Phil Harris.

"When are they going to tell us what the hell is going on?" asked Josh as he stood up to pace the room for the hundredth time.

"Josh, sit down," said Summer quietly, "They'll come out when they have something to tell us. Just calm down…pacing and stressing out aren't doing anything helpful."

Josh knew Summer was right but he was so tense and upset he didn't know what else to do. He glanced over at Jake and for the first time, saw the dark circles under his little brother's glazed-over eyes. Josh narrowed his eyes as he stepped closer in Jake's direction to get a better look. If he didn't know any better he would have said that Jake had been taking some heavy meds to get those circles and the glazed over, blood-shot look in his eyes.

Summer saw concern wash over Josh's tense features as he gazed at his little brother. She tensed instantly, remembering what had happened just a couple days ago. She had caught Jake taking his dad's pills and he had confessed to her that he was an addict. The two had made a pact that if Jake gave up the pills then Summer would give up her abusive boyfriend. She should have known by now that the affects of going "cold-turkey" on the meds would be visible.

"Jake?" asked Josh after a long moment, "What's with the dark circles?"

Jake looked up and saw his brother studying him carefully. He swallowed nervously and shot a guilt-ridden glance in Summer's direction.

"I….I um, I got hooked on some pills," he said after a moment, "I got off of them…but I guess they screwed me up a bit."

"What pills?" demanded Josh, the emotions of fury and deep concern alternating in his eyes.

"Um…Dad, Dad's pills," said Jake as tears began to fall down his face, "I…I took Dad's pills…the pills he needed to help make him better…I took them and now look where he is!"

Summer jumped, startled by Jake's guilty confession, "Jake, you can't possibly blame yourself for this?"

"It's my fault, Summer," said Jake, sobbing, "If I hadn't taken the pills…maybe if I'd been a better son…maybe if I'd tried harder…"

Josh grabbed his little brother's shoulders and shook him fiercely, "Don't you _dare_ blame yourself for this! Don't you dare!"

Tears streamed down both boys faces as Josh hugged his little brother and murmured quietly to him, attempting to calm him down. Summer placed a comforting hand on Jake's back as tears began to fall down her face as well. She had no idea that Jake had been blaming himself for what had happened.

"This would have happened anyway, Jake," said Summer quietly, "There was nothing any of us could do to prevent it."

Josh nodded in agreement, "Summer's right, you know…we couldn't have done anything."

Josh reached over and took Summer's hand in his, his other arm still wrapped around his sobbing little brother.

Summer felt her heart tighten in pain as she gazed at Jake. He suddenly seemed so small and child-like. She looked up and met Josh's steady gaze. The look in his eyes mirrored what she was feeling. Lost…helpless…and uncertain of the future. She gave his hand a light squeeze and tried to force a smile on her face.

"It's going to be okay guys…I'm here for you both," said Summer quietly, "We'll make it through this, I promise."

Just then the double doors swung open and a frantic looking man with a biker's jacket and backwards baseball hat walked quickly into the waiting room. He glanced around for a moment and his gaze stopped when he saw the Harris boys and Summer.

"Hey there," he said as he approached, his eyes watery and red-rimmed from crying.

"John!" said Josh in surprise, "Hey…I didn't know you were coming."

"Yeah, I was on my way out to do some Marlin fishing, but my brother gave me a call and told me what happened," said John Hillstrand as he hugged Josh and Jake, "So here I am."

"Oh, John this is Summer," said Josh as he turned to Summer, "She's the new greenhorn on our boat."

Summer reached out her hand and John shook it fervently, "Pleasure to meet you…it's nice you're here with them."

Summer nodded, wiping away a stray tear, "Yeah…Phil's a great man and he's treated me well. He gave me a shot when I didn't think anyone else would. Between him and his sons, they all saved my life. They pulled me out of my darkest hour and helped me start over again. This…this is the very least I could do."

Johnathan nodded as he reached over to give Summer a hug, too overcome with emotion to speak.

Just then, a doctor walked into the waiting area.

"Josh and Jake Harris?" he asked.

Josh and Jake raised their hands as they rushed over to the doctor.

"Yeah that's us!" said Josh as they approached.

"We're going to have to remove part of your father's skull to relieve the pressure," said the doctor solomly.

Jake looked like he was going to be sick. Summer rushed over and put a comforting arm around him. She glanced over at Josh and saw his jaw tighten as he absorbed the news.

"He did indeed have a massive stroke, but we believe that he will pull through this."

Josh nodded numbly, "Um…okay. Can we see him?"

"After the procedure," assured the doctor, "He's under heavy pain medication right now."

Josh nodded, "Okay…thanks, Doc."

Josh turned and faced Summer and Jake. Summer felt the breath catch in her throat at the devestation that covered Josh's handsome features. She reached out with her free arm and held him close. The three young deckhands stood there in the center of the waiting room, holding on to one another…and praying for a miracle…

**Please Review!**


	10. Heating Up

**Sorry for the wait…busy weekend and even busier start to the week! Thank you so much to those who are still reading and reviewing! I have a bit of a plot twist in this chapter that I wasn't even really planning on till I sat down and started writing. Gotta love those plot-bunnies! LOL : ) Enjoy!**

**Also: I'm also writing and posting a story entitled: "Greenhorns and Rivals: Weathered" it's the fourth installment of my Greenhorns and Rivals saga, centered on the Northwestern and my OC Jack Harper (aka my alias). Check it out if you're interested!**

**Disclaimer: As usual I own no one aside from my OC Summer… also this story depicts what happened to Phil Harris with a combination of real life and a fictional twist. If you want the real story tune in next Tuesday to the Discovery Channel for a 2 hour special all about Phil or visit the Cornelia Marie website. Thanks! : )**

Heating Up

Josh, Jake, Summer and Johnathan walked around the hospital, anxiously awaiting news of Phil's surgery. They all looked worn and haggard after many hours of pacing and wandering around the waiting room.

Summer frowned as she watched Jake leave for the third time in the past few hours. She glanced over at Josh and the disgusted look on his face.

"How the hell does he get off goin' out and getting drunk to deal with his problems?" sneered Josh as he paced angrily across the waiting room.

"He's gotta let out the pain somehow Josh," muttered Johnathan, "It may not be the ideal way, but it's his way."

"You don't see me getting shit-faced!" yelled Josh, his anger and frustration beginning to spill over, "I'm here where my dad is! And he's out there getting drunk and taking who knows what! Dad needs us _here_ not out there screwing up our lives!"

Summer flinched at Josh's harsh tone and the implications of what he had said. From what she had learned about Jake Harris, he had a very addictive personality. He dealt with his issues by burying them in a bottle. Now whether that bottle was an alcohol bottle or some other substance she wasn't sure, but she did know one thing: he wasn't the only one going about this the wrong way.

She glanced over at Josh as he kicked a chair by the wall, muttering and cursing Jake under his breath. Jake wasn't the only one dealing with his emotions in an unhealthy manner. If Jake was out doing drugs or getting drunk to deal with it, Josh just simply _wasn't_ dealing with it at all. He wasn't in denial. He had been talking about what was going on for the past several hours and he'd spoken with all the doctors and nurses about his dad's condition. The thing was…he hadn't shed a single tear yet. He got choked up once or twice but he hadn't taken the time to mourn yet. His sudden outbursts of anger were the beginning signs of his bottled up emotions.

"Josh, maybe you should sit down," said Summer quietly as Josh stomped across the waiting room for the tenth time.

"No," snarled Josh as he continued his angry pacing.

"Josh…this isn't helping anyone," urged Summer, beginning to get a little frustrated herself, "Sit down, take a breather for a minute."

"Don't tell me what to do."

"No one's telling you what to do, Josh," said Summer, struggling to keep her voice calm, "You're stressing everyone out and getting yourself worked up for no reason…"

"No reason?" snapped Josh as he whirled on Summer, "How about my dad is in there dying? Is that a good enough reason for you?"

Summer glared up at Josh, anger flashing in her brown eyes, "That's not what I meant and you know it."

"Yeah whatever."

"How dare you treat me like this?" asked Summer as she stood up from her seat, "After all that's happened…after all we've been through? How dare you?"

Johnathan shifted uneasily in his chair as he watched Summer start to boil over. He took a deep breath and adjusted his baseball hat. This wasn't going to be pretty.

"My dad is _dying, _Summer!" shouted Josh as he glared at her, "What the hell do you expect me to do? What the hell does _anyone_ expect me to do? I have to take over everything now! Do you understand that? Everything! Everything is on my shoulders now! So yeah I'm a little tense, a little upset, and a little pissed off!"

"Well don't take it out on the people that love you!" shouted Summer as angry tears formed in her eyes, "Don't blame this shit on the people that would _die_ for you! Just don't!"

"Like who, Summer? Jake? My little brother who's out there getting stoned while our dad is dying?" argued Josh as he drew closer to Summer.

"And me!" shouted Summer as tears poured down her cheeks, "What about me, Josh? I would do anything for you! I love you…I love your dad…I love your little brother! Why the hell do you have to treat me like crap?"

Just then Jake walked back into the waiting room, "Whoa…what the hell did I miss?"

Josh sneered loudly as his brother walked over to them, "Why do you care? You're too busy getting stoned to care about anything else."

"What the hell, Josh?" argued Jake as he glared up at his older brother, "I needed a smoke!"

"Yeah, this time you did!" yelled Josh, "But what about when you were gone for over an hour? It doesn't take that long to smoke a damn cigarette!"

"I'm doing what I gotta do to get through this!" shouted Jake, "Don't yell at me about this shit Josh…it's not easy. I'm not used to everyone I know and love dyin' on me!"

"And you think _I_ am?" shouted Josh as he got in his brother's face.

"You don't seem to care at all!" shouted Jake right back, "You haven't shed a single tear this whole time! Do you even care about dad? So don't frickin' yell at me…"

Jake's sentence was cut off as Josh punched his brother across the face. Jake hit the ground and put a hand up to his nose, he pulled it away and saw blood.

"Jake!" screeched Summer as she knelt down to where he fell.

Jake glared up at Josh as Summer attempted to look at his now-broken nose.

"Screw you," he muttered at Josh as he stood up and turned to leave.

"Jake!" called Summer, desperately trying to call him back as he opened the door to leave.

Just as Jake took one step outside he jumped slightly in surprise. He scrambled back in the waiting room, a startled and scared look on his face as he glanced back at Summer.

"Whoa, what happened to you, kiddo?" crooned an all-too-familiar voice.

Summer felt her blood turn to ice in her veins at the sound of his voice. She quickly stood up off the floor and took a couple of steps back, her eyes wide with shock and fear.

"Blake…"

**Please Review!**


	11. Enemies and Allies

**Thanks so much to everyone who is reading and reviewing! I appreciate the feedback a lot! This chapter gets a bit exciting as some other Deadliest Catch friends of ours make a rather boisterous appearance. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own no one except my OC Summer**

Enemies and Allies

"What…what are you doing here?" stammered Summer in shock as she watched her ex-boyfriend saunter coolly across the room. Two of his crew members followed in behind him, acting and looking more like bodyguards.

"Saw someone on the Cornelia Marie being hoisted off the boat," crooned Blake as he stood in front of Josh and Summer, "Wanted to make sure everyone was okay."

"Bullshit," snapped Josh as he glared at Blake.

Jonathan stood up behind Josh and Summer, squaring his shoulders and glaring down at Blake with a warning look that clearly said he wasn't welcome here.

"Aw come on now, Josh," said Blake with a forced smile, his blue eyes glittering with anger as he remembered the encounter at the bar, "I thought maybe we could patch things up. Seein' as how you got my old girlfriend and all. Might as well be friendly and civil about the whole thing, right?"

"You don't know what you're talking about," snapped Summer, her face flushed with embarrassment as she glanced briefly over at Josh.

"Oh," said Blake, as a flicker of understanding crossed his pale blue eyes, "So you two aren't an item yet? Damn, Josh you better make a move."

"Get the hell out of here," replied Josh, his eyes flashing with unrestrained anger, "No one wants you here, no one likes you so get the hell out!"

"You don't own the hospital, Josh," laughed Blake, cruelly, "I'll do whatever the hell I want."

"Look here you," growled Jonathan as he approached Blake, "You've got no business here. What's going on has nothing to do with you so butt out."

"Oh and what does it have to do with a Time Bandit captain?" retorted Blake.

"One of my closest friends is in there," snapped Jonathan, his eyes a mixture of grief and anger, "So yeah it has to do with me."

Understanding lit up Blake's eyes and he glanced back at his two bodyguard friends, "Ah, so it's the good old captain Phil Harris who's in there?"

Josh lunged at Blake without warning, catching the young, blonde captain off guard. Blake cried out in surprise as the two fell to the floor. Jake ran over from where he was standing near the door to help his brother just as the two bodyguard-friends leapt on top of Josh. Jonathan and Summer joined the fray as well as they tried to pry everyone apart.

An elbow shot out and Jake's piercing cry of pain shot through the waiting room. Summer screamed as one of Blake's friends pulled her hair hard, jerking her neck at an awkward angle. Josh grimaced in pain as he and Blake wrestled on the floor while Jonathan rushed in to assist Jake with the other bodyguard.

"What the hell!" shouted a familiar voice.

Sig, Edgar, and Norman Hansen as well as Nick Mavar, Jake Anderson and Matt Bradley raced into the waiting room. Sig picked up one of the bodyguards, who was currently attempting to throw another elbow to Jake's face, and launched him across the room. Matt and Nick moved to restrain him while Norman helped Josh restrain Blake. Edgar slugged the man gripping Summer's hair and wrestled him to the ground.

As quickly as it had all started, it ended. Summer was propped up against the wall, massaging her sore neck muscles as she glanced around the room. Norman and Josh had Blake's arms wrapped around behind his back and had him standing on his knees. Matt and Nick were practically sitting on top of one of the bodyguards and Sig stood over the other on the other side of the room. Jonathan and Jake were nursing their wounds as they took in the chaotic scene around them. Several doctors and nurses had come out to see what all the commotion was and now stood, dumbfounded at the scene in front of them.

Sig glanced around the room, an exasperated and confused expression on his face, "Does somebody want to tell me what the hell is going on here?"

…

Within minutes the police had arrived and threw out Blake and his "bodyguards." They questioned everyone else and then left. To Summer it seemed as if they were more amused with the story rather than angry at the actual event that occurred. She rolled her eyes at them as the police laughed to themselves and left. If they knew what she knew they wouldn't find this little occurrence amusing.

"You okay?" asked Edgar Hansen as Summer sat down in a chair in the waiting room.

"Um, yeah," she mumbled, "I'm Summer…thanks for saving me back there. I thought that guy was going to snap my neck."

Edgar chuckled, "Yeah looked like it. I'm Edgar Hansen…deck boss on the Northwestern. You must be the new greenhorn?"

Summer smiled, "Yep that's me."

"And that guy back there…Blake Painter…he's your ex?"

Summer nodded, "Yep."

"So what the hell was he doing here?"

Summer frowned as she averted her gaze, "Um, I'm not sure. He said he saw someone being taken off the Cornelia Marie in an ambulance and wanted to see who it was. He was probably hoping it was me…or Josh."

Edgar raised an eyebrow at that, "Why would he want it to be Josh?"

Summer felt her face flush a little, "Um, it's a long story. But basically after I broke up with Blake, he decided to beat me in front of his friends. He was drunk and I guess he thought it made him look cool or something. Josh saw what happened and knocked the hell out of Blake so I guess that left a bad taste in his mouth. That and…Josh and I are kinda close."

Edgar smirked slightly, "That so? He's a good kid. A lot better than that piece of shit out there."

Summer laughed, "Yeah that's for sure. Yeah…he's a really good guy. He and Jake are going through a pretty rough time right now though. They aren't handling it well. Jake's either drunk or high half the time and Josh has practically gone numb. He hasn't cried at all…he's so serious and business-like."

Edgar sighed as he watched Summer's face fall slightly as she talked about the two Harris boys.

"Well when my dad started getting sick, I was just like Jake," said Edgar, glancing down at his hands, "I was out every night getting drunk or high. Sig was the business man. He was devastated but he kept it to himself. Never cried in front of me or Norman. He took charge of everything that day…from then on out. Everyone reacts differently to these things. Don't stress about it too much. Let them work through it the best way they can. All you can do is be there for them when they need you. And I can guarantee you that they'll need you to get through this…especially Josh."

Summer smiled slightly, "Thanks Edgar…I appreciate it."

"Anytime," said Edgar as he stood up, "Looks like Sig and the boys are going to talk to the doc so I'm gonna go join them. I'll catch you later."

Summer watched Edgar join his crew as they went to talk to the doctor about Phil's condition. On the other side of the waiting room Josh was pacing next to Jake while a nurse wiped the blood away from his nose.

"You sure he's okay?" asked Josh anxiously as Summer approached.

"Josh for the last time…I'm _fine_," said Jake as he rolled his eyes, wincing as the nurse cleaned his wounds.

"I just…I feel bad. I shouldn't have hit you," said Josh as he slipped an arm subconsciously around Summer's waist.

Jake rolled his eyes again at that, "Please…it's not the first time. You did this all the time when we were kids, you freakin' bully."

Summer couldn't help but laugh at that. At least the brothers were getting along again.

"How are you holding up?" asked Josh as he glanced down at her.

"I'm okay…I'm glad everyone's okay."

"Speak for yourself," muttered Jonathan as he ambled over to them, "My back's gonna hurt for a week! Damn Maverick deckhands…"

Summer tried to stifle her laugh as she, Jake and Josh all exchanged amused looks.

Just then, one of the doctors walked into the waiting room, "If you all would like to see Phil come on back," he announced to everyone in the waiting room, "He's awake and asking to see his boys."

Josh, Jake and Summer exchanged excited and nervous glances as they leapt up and practically ran down the hall to Phil's room with the crew of the Northwestern and Jonathan Hillstrand right on their heels.

…

**Please review! **


	12. Blessing

**Thank you so much to everyone who is reading and reviewing! I know last night's episode was hard to watch for everyone so I'm going to follow Discovery's lead and depict what happened to Phil in a very tasteful manner much like they did since this is such a sensitive topic. **

**Disclaimer: I own no one except my OC Summer, the rest belongs to Discovery (sadly lol)**

Blessing

The second he walked into the large hospital room, Josh made a bee-line for his dad. He grabbed his dad's hand and gave him a hug, his throat tight with emotion. Jake hung back a little, partially hidden behind Summer as he watched the reunion nervously.

"How are you, big guy?" asked Josh affectionately as he ruffled his dad's hair a bit.

Phil murmured something that sounded like he was okay and shrugged a little. He glanced over at Jake and motioned for him to come over. Jake froze for a second, not sure how to react, but with a quick nudge from Summer, he walked over to his dad's bedside.

"Hey there, Pops," said Jake, forcing a smile as he took his dad's hand, "Missed you…"

Phil nodded in understanding and managed to whisper, "Missed you too, buddy."

Phil looked up and saw Summer, Jonathan Hillstrand, and the Northwestern crew. He shook his head and turned to Josh.

"Brought the whole damn fleet to see me, did you?" he asked in a hoarse whisper.

Josh smirked as Summer came over and shook Phil's hand, "Hey there, Captain," she said with a smile, "We've been worrying about you."

Phil rolled his eyes and shrugged, "Eh, don't I'm fine."

"Stubborn fool," muttered Jonathan as he wiped away a stray tear and walked over to say hello to his friend. Sig joined him and Summer moved back to let the three old friends have a moment to themselves.

"So," said Summer after a moment as she turned to glance over at Edgar, "What the hell are you guys doing here anyway? Shouldn't you all be out fishing?"

Edgar smirked, "Well Sig is kind of a hard-ass and worked us to the bone this season so we got our quota a bit earlier than usual."

Summer smirked, "Aw, your big brother can't be all that bad, can he?"

Edgar turned and gave Summer an exasperated look, "You have _no_ idea."

"Alright, everyone out!" said a rather plump-looking female nurse as she pushed her way into the crowded hospital room, "Doctor needs to check on Phil and we have tests to run so all of you get outta here. Shoo!"

Summer raised an eyebrow and rolled her eyes as she followed the Northwestern crew back out into the lobby to wait. Josh sat down next to Summer and reached over to take her hand. She looked up at him and smiled warmly, squeezing his hand in silent support. Josh sighed in contentment as he settled down lower in his seat and closed his eyes. He leaned his head on Summer's shoulder and within seconds he was fast asleep.

Jonathan and Sig exchanged amused looks as they watched the two young deckhands fall asleep side by side…

…

_Three Days Later…_

For the past few days the crew of the Northwestern and Jonathan Hillstrand took turns checking in on the Harris boys, Summer, and of course Phil. Josh and Jake rarely ever left the hospital and Summer stayed right there beside them.

Around noon the doctor came out and asked for Josh.

"Josh Harris?"

"Yeah?" asked Josh, standing up quickly as alarm and dread filled his tired face. Summer stood next to him and held his hand, praying silently.

"Your dad wanted to see you for a moment."

Josh sighed in relief and nodded. He gave Summer a hug and followed the doctor to his dad's room.

"Hey there tough guy," said Josh as he entered the room, "Doc says you wanted to see me?"

Phil nodded and motioned for Josh to come closer. Josh walked over to the side of his dad's bed and leaned in to hear his whispered words.

"Don't you lose that girl, Josh," he whispered, "She's a keeper. Don't be stupid."

Josh could not help but laugh and shake his head in disbelief, "Dad, you're in the freakin' hospital and all you're worried about is my love life?"

"I ain't jokin' either!" protested Phil, "Don't screw it up…she's good. I like her…I like her a lot."

Josh smiled slightly and nodded, "Yeah...that makes two of us."

…

Josh walked back into the waiting room. Jonathan Hillstrand, Matt Bradley, Edgar Hansen, Summer and his little brother all looked up with worried and nervous expressions.

"Everything's okay," said Josh as he walked over to Summer. He gave her a hug and held her for a few seconds before he pulled away.

"I would like to say something though," he said as he held Summer's hands in his and looked into her eyes, "Summer…I know we've all been through a lot lately…you with that moronic ex and me with my dad and all the drama that's gone on with my family recently, but through it all you've stood right by me and my little brother and that means the world to me. I must admit I wasn't thrilled when Dad hired you, but you grew on me and you grew on me fast as hell. Summer…you've become more than just a good friend. I like you…I like you a lot. And so does my dad actually…that's why he called me back there. He wanted to, uh, give us his blessing sort of."

Everyone chuckled quietly at that as they watched Summer and Josh.

"Basically…what I'm trying to say…what I'm trying to ask is…I know the timing isn't so great with Blake causing issues and with my dad in the hospital, but with all this confusion and uncertainty there is one thing I do know for sure and it's that I like you…I like you a hell of a lot. And…I want you to be my girlfriend."

Summer gaped in astonishment as tears flowed down her face. She nodded vigorously, unable to speak as she wrapped her arms around Josh's neck and kissed him with fervor.

Jake Harris smirked slightly, "Alright alright we get it…you're in love, knock it off already!"

"Get a room!" called Edgar with a laugh as the two finally separated.

Jonathan stood up and gave Josh a hug and congratulated him while Jake did the same with Summer.

"Congrats future sister-in-law," he laughed.

Summer smirked, "Jake we're dating! We're not engaged you goof-ball!" she said as she ruffled his hair.

Jake smirked at that, "No, not yet…but you will be. I have a good feeling about this."

Summer rolled her eyes as she watched Edgar give Josh a hug and tell him congratulations.

She smiled when she looked back at Jake, "Well…can't say I would complain."

**Please review!**


	13. Losing the Battle

**Thanks again to everyone who is reading and reviewing! This chapter is the one where Phil passes away, just a heads up, but like I said in the last chapter I will do it very much like Discovery did so no worries there. I'm taking a short break from my other story (Greenhorns and Rivals: Weathered) because I really want to finish this one up. Also I have another idea for a Northwestern story that I'll start after this story is over and write it alongside Greenhorns and Rivals: Weathered. **

**Disclaimer: I own no one except my OC Summer**

Losing the Battle

He got the call the next afternoon.

Josh, Jake and Summer were driving down the road on their way to a fast food restaurant to grab a bite to eat before heading to the hospital to check up on Phil when Josh's phone rang.

"Damn it," cursed Josh when he saw the caller ID.

"Who is it?" asked Jake, his voice shaky.

"The hospital," muttered Josh as he answered the phone.

Summer and Jake exchanged scared and worried looks as they waited to hear the news. Josh's face was a mask of shock and disbelief as he hung up.

"What is it?" asked Jake as he started to tear up, "It's Dad isn't it? He's…is he?"

"He just had another episode," said Josh quietly as he stepped on the accelerator, "They said we should get back to the hospital as soon as possible."

Summer felt her throat tighten up with emotion when she saw the anguish in Jake's eyes. She started praying silently as they sped down the road back toward the hospital.

…

Jonathan and the Northwestern crew were already there along with a couple of Phil's close friends. They were pacing in the waiting room, anxiety and fear evident on their faces and in their body language.

Two hours later, the doctor walked into the waiting room.

"I need to speak to Josh and Jake Harris alone first," he said briskly.

Josh clenched his teeth together and shook his head, "No…you can tell them. Tell us what's happening."

Josh reached for Summer and Jake's hands. They all held on to each other, bracing for whatever the doctor had to say.

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry to say that Phil has passed away."

Josh fell to his knees the second the doctor said "I'm sorry." Summer knelt next to him as emotion overwhelmed Josh. Jake joined them in a numb stupor as the three young, terrified deckhands held onto each other, seeking out whatever little comfort they could find…

…

_I know that you gave, _

_the best that you had,_

_but one more chance couldn't be all that hard to bear, _

_wait for me please, _

_wait for me, I know,_

_it's probably more than I should ask, _

_but won't you wait? _

_Please wait for me,_

_I know the light is fading fast…_


	14. The Legacy Continues

**Here it is…the final chapter! This is what I hope happens in real life with the boys and the Cornelia Marie!**

The Legacy Continues

_Two years later…_

Josh stood nervously, fidgeting and shifting his weight from one foot to the other. He felt beads of sweat beginning to form on his forehead as he swallowed nervously.

Jake rolled his eyes and nudged his older brother, "Would you knock it off already?" he hissed under his breath, "Seriously dude, chill!"

"Sorry," muttered Josh as he continued to fidget.

Jake glanced over at Jake Anderson and gave him an exasperated look that clearly said he was giving up. Jake Anderson laughed slightly and shrugged helplessly.

Finally, after what seemed like hours to Josh, the double doors on the other side of the chapel opened. Summer walked slowly down the aisle, her long, flowing, silky dress trailing behind her. Sig escorted her down the aisle. He was beaming proudly as if she was his own daughter that he was escorting on her big day. Summer's dad was no longer in her life and since Phil had passed away she had no one to lead her down the aisle on the most important day of her life. Sig had offered to do the honors instantly, saying that it was the least he could do for her and Josh on their big day.

Sig gave Summer's hand over to a rather stunned-looking Josh Harris and stepped to the side.

"Wow," breathed Josh, "You…you're….God you're beautiful."

Summer smiled broadly and laughed a little, "Thank you," she whispered as the minister began the ceremony, "You clean up pretty well yourself."

Josh smirked slightly as the minister began to recite the vows. He could hardly wait to spend the rest of his life with this beautiful, intelligent woman…

…

_Three months later…_

"Josh she looks beautiful!" exclaimed Edgar as he stood next to a rather proud-looking Josh Harris.

"Hey now, she's mine!" laughed Josh as he wrapped an arm around Summer.

Summer rolled her eyes as she laughed at Edgar's expression.

"I was talking about the boat," he said as he nudged his friend playfully, "So you and Jake are the owners of her now?"

"Complete owners," said Josh proudly, "She belongs to us."

"And you're captain?" asked Edgar.

"Yes, sir…Jake'll be deck boss."

Edgar sneered, "Yeah good luck with that…poor Jake. I should give him some words of advice. It ain't easy having an older brother as a Captain. Trust me, I would know."

Summer laughed as she gazed up at the brilliant blue hull of the Cornelia Marie. Freshly painted and re-vamped from the inside out, she was looking better than she had in years.

A new gold emblem stood out on the side of the vessel just under the wheelhouse window. It was a gold red king crab with the initials "PH" on it in Cornelia-Marie-blue.

"That for your dad?" asked Edgar quietly.

Josh nodded, "Yep…it's the same design that he had on his necklace," said Josh as he fingered the golden crab that now hung around his neck, "It was always his good luck charm so I figured it could give us some luck too…and honor our Dad."

Summer gave Josh a reassuring hug, "Your dad would be so proud of you, Josh."

Edgar nodded in agreement just as a familiar face popped up over the railing.

"Josh! We going fish or we going sit on dry land all day?"

Edgar laughed loudly at that and shook his head, "Dude, you're still fishing?"

"Hell yeah!" shouted Freddy as he waved Josh and Summer over, "I no give up fishing! It my life. What else I do?"

Edgar laughed and shook his head, "Alright well, you crazy kids be safe out there. And give me and Sig a call if you need anything. We're leaving in a few hours."

"Roger that," said Josh as he shook Edgar's hand, "See you out there, bro."

Josh and Summer climbed onto the Cornelia Marie and were met by several familiar faces. Josh had re-hired the entire crew that had been with his dad during his last season. The men looked happy to be back on a familiar boat once again.

"All hail Captain Josh!" shouted Freddy as he got the crew to chant Josh's name.

Josh smirked and shook his head as he made his way up to the wheelhouse. Summer went over to where Jake was leaning against the rail with a satisfied smirk on his face.

"How you doin' kiddo?" asked Summer as she put an arm over Jake's shoulders.

"Not too shabby," said Jake with a smile, "Lookin' forward to being out there again," he said as he pointed out to the entrance of the harbor.

Summer smirked, "Yeah right, you're looking forward to being in charge of the deck and bossing the rest of us around!"

Jake nodded with a cheshire grin on his face, "Yeah…that too."

…

Josh sighed as he settled into the Captain's chair. He looked around at the controls and screens he had become familiar with after all those hours of being up there with his dad. As flashbacks of those times raced through his mind, Josh felt a tug on his heart. It had been over two years since his dad had passed away but the pain was still there. Part of him knew that it would never go away, but it had gotten easier as time went on. Purchasing the Cornelia Marie and getting her underway had helped a lot with that as well. He was continuing his dad's dream for the boat and for his sons.

Josh pushed a bit on the throttle and the boat edged its way away from the dock. The crew cheered once they were free and in the channel that led them out into the Bering Sea.

Josh smiled as he watched his crew dance and celebrate on the deck. Jake disappeared for a moment and emerged from the galley with a big brown box in his hands.

"Oh no," muttered Josh as he watched Jake light the box with a torch.

Fireworks exploded everywhere as the crew ran for cover, laughing hysterically. The whooping and hollering combined with the fireworks alerted the entire harbor that the Cornelia Marie was back in business.

On the Time Bandit Jonathan and Andy Hillstrand leaned out the wheelhouse window and cheered them on as they passed. Neal Hillstrand set of a few fireworks of his own on deck as he waved to the Cornelia Marie. The crew of the Wizard waved excitedly as the brilliant blue and gold vessel sailed past them. The Northwestern blew her horn as they passed and hollered and cheered excitedly.

Just as the vessel reached the entrance to the harbor, the morning light broke through the thick band of clouds and sent a single ray of light directly onto the Cornelia Marie. She glowed in the bright ray of light as she moved smoothly through the water. Josh smiled and shook his head in disbelief as the warmth of the sun radiated into the wheelhouse. In that instant he knew that his dad wasn't completely gone. He was still there, watching over them. Josh smiled to himself and gave a small sigh of relief.

"Hey there, Pops."

_I know that you gave, the best that you had, but one more chance couldn't be all that hard to bear, wait for me please, wait for me, I know…it's probably more than I should ask, but won't you wait? Please wait for me, I know the light is fading fast…you could go either way, is it easier to stay? Wonder what you'll do when your chance rolls around, but you gotta know how much I wanna keep you, when I'm away I'm afraid it will all fall down, alright I guess that's more than I should ask, but won't you wait for me? I know the light is fading fast…_

**The End**

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